This project takes a comprehensive approach to behavior change that gives attention to individual attitudes and skills, sociocultural factors, and environmental barriers and supports to behavior change, including economic barriers. The intervention will promote behavioral skills and social support for success given an array of potential personal, social, environmental, and economic challenges to healthy eating and PA and will engage women in group-based identification of barriers and problem-solving. Women ages 25 to 50 in the intervention group will receive an initial diet and PA counseling session, followed by 16 weeks of group behavioral/support sessions and 8 weeks of a maintenance intervention (weekly professional contact via telephone). The goal will be at least a 10% weight loss, at a rate of one to two pounds per week, depending on the woman's starting weight. The "usual care" control group will receive the same initial diet and exercise counseling session as the intervention group.

During the 16 weeks of the intervention period, the control group will receive women's health education materials (no diet or exercise information) in the mail, and during the maintenance phase, one brief telephone contact. Immediate and delayed post-measures at 16, 26, and 45 weeks will assess immediate intervention effects and long-term maintenance, with and without contact from professionals.

PRIMARY AIM of this community-based, randomized controlled trial is to test the effects of 16 weeks of a behavioral/social support intervention on body weight, body mass index (BMI), and waist circumference compared to a usual-care control group.

SECONDARY AIMS: a) test the effects of the 16-week intervention on physical fitness, PA level, total energy intake, % caloric intake from total fat, saturated fat and trans fat, fruit and vegetable (F&V) intake, self-efficacy for healthy diet and PA, social support for diet and PA, and behavior skills for healthy diet and exercise; b) test the effects of 8 weeks of a telephone-contact maintenance intervention on primary and secondary outcomes; and c) assess long-term maintenance of primary and secondary outcomes 18 weeks after the end of the maintenance intervention phase (45 weeks' posttest).

PUBLICATIONS:

Sharpe, P.A., WILCOX, S., Rooney, L.J., Strong, D., Hopkins-Campbell, R., Butel, J., Ainsworth, B., Parra-Medina, D. (2011). Adherence to accelerometer protocols among women from economically disadvantaged neighborhoods. Journal of Physical Activity and Health, 8(5), 699-706. PMID: 21734316. PMCID: 3142748. NIHMSID: 307992.